1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to web-based management interfaces and more particularly to a web-based management interfaces for managing and monitoring complex systems such as data storage subsystems.
2. Background Description
Increasingly, network based devices include a web-based management interface for managing system resources, device configuration and for distributing system information, e.g., status. Since system status and configuration may be changing, constantly, a typical such web interface application is designed to dynamically build and rebuild individual web pages with every change. A typical interface may link to a number of web pages, built from a collection of hypertext mark up language (HTML) files with placeholders in markup text for receiving and displaying dynamic input data. Variable data, including configuration information, may be generated, collected and provided to an executable code module that, upon selection of the page link, combines the data with the HTML template files to produce complete HTML documents. The HTML documents are transferred to web-based clients using standard hypertext transport protocol (http) and displayed as web pages.
In a tape library, for example, the interface must update linked web pages to reflect device configuration changes as they occur. Typically, the tape library interface includes a number of HTML source code files, at least one for each of the various states of the navigation display. Whenever device configuration changes, a respective navigation source file is regenerated to reflect the new configuration. To maintain synchronization, a fresh copy of the navigation frame must be sent each time a client selects a link from the top navigation level.
Unfortunately, this presents a number of synchronization problems. For example, several separate source files must be maintained, each describing different web interface navigation aspects. Furthermore, these source files must be kept up-to-date and synchronized with each another. So, a change in one source file must be carried across to all of the others. A transcription error may occur as the change is copied and so, the opportunity for transcription errors increases with the number of source files. Also, since a fresh copy of each navigation page is sent with each transaction, even when the configuration remains unchanged, network traffic increases and refreshing the pages may bog down. More importantly, configuration changes are not presented unless and until the user selects a different top level item (than a currently view item) in the web interface navigation frame; otherwise, the web interface does not reload the navigation frame and so, the user may be informed late of system configuration changes or, worse still, the user may miss system configuration changes altogether. For example, system changes may make a first top level item unavailable and, correspondingly, links to that top level item and related information may have been removed from other top level item web pages. However, someone viewing configuration information on that other top level item may continue selecting links to sub-items even to the unavailable top-level, unaware that the information provided by those links is stale; updated configuration information is not presented until another top-level item is selected. So after each configuration change, unless and until a top level item is selected, users may be completely unaware of changes because the navigation frame only reloads when a new top-level navigation item is selected.
Thus, there is a need to keep current and up-to-date information in web-based system management and monitoring interfaces.